


The dark side of happiness

by SophiaHoppia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Depression, Developing Relationship, Discrimination, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Insults, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, lots of cuddles later, newly found relationship, tagging it all just to be safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 16:50:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12821841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/pseuds/SophiaHoppia
Summary: Long story short: Prompto has a nightmare, where everyone is a douchebag, metaphorically stabbing his already hurting wounds. Will his boyfriends be able to ease his insecurities and worries?[Day 3 of Chocobrosweek 2017: "Dreams or Nightmares" & "Brotherhood Timeline"]





	The dark side of happiness

**Author's Note:**

> [Chocobrosweek 2017](https://chocobrosweek.tumblr.com/), third prompt: "Dreams or Nightmares" & "Brotherhood Timeline" (Yes, I chose both)
> 
> Thanks at Eric Panda for beta-reading!

Prompto and Noctis were in their last year of high school, a few weeks before their final exams. The blonde had decided to start his Crownsguard training directly afterwards and Noct would have to take over a lot more royal duties since before. Since they knew the future would be stressful and they couldn't study for their exams all the time non-stop, the prince had suggested to take at least one weekend off and hang out together. It took some persuading but eventually, Ignis allowed the prince some free time and they got him and Gladio to join.

The four of them had finally become boyfriends after a chaotic first date a few months ago. Prompto still couldn't believe his luck. Even though they were together it didn't happen often that all four of them had the time to meet up. Ignis was the busiest of them all but Gladio was also busy training the new recruits. Prompto was still working at the photography shop after school, which left him with little free time as well. The prince saw Prompto at school and Gladio at training sessions regularly, as well as Ignis during some meetings but their relationship was still a secret. Because of this, the prince indeed managed to see his boyfriends but he couldn't act on it. 

That's why Noct had insisted on this free weekend for them all and they ended up spending it in his apartment. It wasn't as fancy as their first date had been but it was still special for Prompto. He enjoyed spending time with all of his boyfriends, from time to time still not realizing they really were a thing now. But as they all laid on the couch, cuddling, legs intertwined, lazily sharing kisses and playing video games, the reality of it all slowly started to settle in and he tried to burry all his worries to the back of his mind. 

It was the first time he played video games together with Ignis. And like always the advisor excelled at it after only a few tries. It was amazing and unbelievable at the same time. Was there anything the tactician _couldn't_ do?! Noctis looked kind of grumpy about it but as he had spent hours of persuading Iggy to even play with them, they couldn't complain about it now. Since they were all together Ignis had become a little more lenient towards their prince's and Prompto's wishes. They even ordered pizza for dinner, telling the advisor they wanted to spend every possible minute together and not let him waste any time by cooking. Ignis wasn't convinced at first but one pout of Prompto had changed his mind. Prompto knew about the power of his pout, even if he still couldn't believe it. Gladio and Ignis had called it "unbearably cute" and apparently, they had really meant it that way, even though Prompto himself saw no cuteness in his own ugly face.

They played video games until late into the night before they got to sleep, all cuddled together in Noct's huge bed. Gladio facing the wall, Ignis on the other side since he always used to get up first, Prompto and Noct safely between the older two men. After the four of them had gotten together, the prince had bought a new bed so large, Prompto didn't even know something like this existed. Ignis was afraid someone could get suspicious of their secret relationship, but Gladio had said no one would question it if _Princess Sleepiness_ got himself a new larger bed. 

Prompto wasn't used to sleep beside someone else, so it always took him more time to fall asleep than usual. Sometimes he admired Noct's ability to fall asleep almost immediately. Gladio always was the next to fall asleep, his soft snoring causing Ignis to toss and turn around a few times before the advisor finally rested as well. Knowing their sleeping habits felt special to Prompto. It was like he got to know things about his three boyfriends no one else knew about them. And it made him feel welcome, it was a proof for their trust in him. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to sleep so peacefully beside him, would they? The blonde smiled fondly as he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off into the world of dreams as well.

The blonde fell into a fitful sleep. He tossed and turned until he finally awoke inside of an empty bed. He sat up and looked around. He was still in Noct's bed, but the sheets beside him were empty. It was raining outside, the sky painted grey and dark, but it wasn't nighttime anymore. Waking up _after_ the prince was something new for the blonde, but he didn't pay it any mind. Still, he was kind of disappointed they all got up without waking him. They finally had a weekend off together, so he didn't want to sleep it away on his own.

Without caring about his appearance, only wearing a loose shirt and his chocobo printed sleeping pants, he got up and walked into the living room complaining, "You could at least have woken me up when Noct got up."  
"It is your own problem if you carelessly sleep away the day," the firm voice of King Regis himself reached Prompto's ears. The blonde widened his eyes in shock and suddenly became very aware of his tousled bed hair, "I, um, I'm sorry, your Majesty. What... what are you doing here?"  
"Is a father not allowed to visit his son?" Regis walked over to stand before Prompto with all his kingly might, dressed in his royal attire. Shit, what was going on here? Why didn't the others wake him up if the King of Lucis was coming over! A little warning would have been nice.  
"Oh, no, of course, you are! Um... speaking of Noct, um, Prince Noctis, where is he?" Prompto took a step back, trying to put some distance between himself and the king.  
"He is gone," Regis answered piercing the young boy with a fierce gaze.  
"Huh?" the blonde asked perplexed. Gone? What did he mean?  
"Like I said, he is gone. And you won't see him again. Ever. A commoner like you is bad company for someone of royal blood like my son," Regis explained, his voice getting louder towards the end, his face stoic, eyes cold.  
"Huh??" Prompto paled. He must have misheard this, right? There was no way the king would say something like this, would he? Well... he didn't really know the king. But from what he had heard from the others Regis was a loving father who wished for his son's happiness. On the other hand, it was true what he had said. He _was_ nothing more than a commoner.  
"Is that all you can say?" Regis flashed him a ridiculing gaze.  
"Huh? No, I, um-"  
"Save your breath, I have no time for a commoner's babbling. Leave!" the king commanded and Prompto was too perplex to react in any way, "Are you too stupid to follow a simple order? I told you to leave right now. And don't you dare ever coming back here again!"

Prompto felt a cold shiver run down his spine. No, this couldn't be happening. This couldn't be true. He had to get away, right now. The king looked way too serious and threatening. Without thinking about where to go, he left the apartment and ran through the streets of Insomnia. As he bumped into a passerby in a hurry, he was granted a depreciatory look and wanted nothing more than to hide somewhere. He only now realized that he had just woken up and looked the part with his hair not done, loose shirt and chocobo printed pants. He really wanted to hide. And he needed to talk to Noct and the others about what has happened. His first intention was to call them but he left his phone on Noct's nightstand. As even more passersby stopped to look at him, he dashed off again. The surroundings looked familiar, he seemed to be somewhere near the Citadel. That was it, the Citadel. The training rooms. Gladio might be there. 

He ran as fast as he could, ignoring his dry throat and the looks of the people he passed, keeping his face down desperately avoiding to make eye contact with anyone. Even as he reached the Citadel, he didn't slow down, running through the hallways.  
"Argentum!!" a sharp voice stopped him in his tracks and made him spin around almost as if he had been caught.  
"M-marshal Cor?"  
"I heard you won't be a member of the Crownsguard after all," the Immortal mentioned casually.  
Prompto only blinked at him in confusion, "What? I thought you said my training would start as soon as I finished high school."  
"Not anymore. You are not allowed to participate. King's orders. To be honest I'm glad about his decision. We don't need _weaklings_ fooling around here," the marshall said so harshly, Prompto flinched.  
"But I," he stuttered before Cor interrupted him fiercely.  
"No _buts_! You are dispelled and therefore not allowed inside the Citadel anymore. Leave at once!" Cor ordered. Prompto shook his head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. He had looked forward to his training. Surely, it would have been hard. But he was so proud he got accepted and would be able to protect Noct for real one day! And now it was over before it had even begun? This couldn't be true. He didn't want to look for another job. He didn't want to believe this was happening. 

Gladio. He needed to find him. He must be here, somewhere. He would protect him, the blonde could rely on him. Prompto dashed off into the general direction of the training facilities, desperately trying to ignore Cor shouting after him, "Hey! The exit is the other way!"  
He ran and ran and ran until he didn't hear the shouting anymore. There was only the echo of his own footsteps and the ringing inside his ears. Despite all the confusion he somehow managed to reach the training rooms and stormed inside at once, "Gladio!!"

"You!!" a voice similar to Gladio's reached him, but it sounded deeper and older. Prompto looked up to see Clarus stand in front of him. Shit. The encounter with Noct's father wasn't very nice, so he couldn't say he was pleased to meet Gladio's father.  
"Oh, um, hello, sir!" the blonde hoped he managed to sound polite as he tried to catch his breath, "Do you know where Gladio is?"  
"How dare you even speak his name..." Clarus rumbled.  
"W-what?" Prompto looked at him in shock. What had he done now?  
"I forbid you to ever contact my son again! What were you even thinking _selfishly_ seducing him? What if he got so dumbstruck by a cheap slut like you that he fails to save the prince! It is his _duty_ to protect the future king by all means. He has no time to lay eyes on someone else. Especially not you," the older shield spat repulsively. Prompto didn't believe what he had just heard. This couldn't be true. Why would Clarus think such things? The blonde would never do anything to distract Gladio from his duty. He himself wanted to become a member of the Crownsguard to protect Noct! He always knew that the prince had priority no matter their relationship status among each other. 

Something wasn't right here. It had to be a prank. Or something else. He had to keep calm. There had to be a logical explanation for everything. _Logical_. Ignis. Maybe the advisor knew what happened. The blonde turned around and fled the training room, Clarus shouting after him, "Yeah, run away you coward!"  
Prompto closed his eyes as he ran, trying to fight back the tears. He had to stay calm. Getting worked up wouldn't help. Ignis had taught him that lately. He tried to take a deep breath but it was more of a stuttered inhale. He turned a few corners before he reached the library. Hopefully, Ignis would be here and could explain to him what had happened. 

Entering the unbearably silent room, his eyes met those of Ignis's uncle at once. He had never met the man in person, but he had seen photos of him. Besides, he had the same stern gaze the advisor had when he was really upset. This wasn't good.  
"Argentum, I assume?" the man asked with a voice colder than ice. Prompto gulped and only nodded shortly, not trusting his own voice.  
"My nephew wishes to never see you again. Due to your indecent _advances_ he had to deal with unnecessary feelings, clouding his mind and sense of judgment. Serendipitously he realized this before it was too late and wishes to cut all ties with you," Ignis's uncle stated before he just turned around and left, giving Prompto no chance to answer. Probably not even _caring_ about his answer.

Prompto felt dizzy. He had to get away. He didn't know where to go, but he had to _leave_. Just get away from everything. Aimlessly running through the hallways of the Citadel once again, he suddenly saw a white dog at the exit, which looked oddly familiar to him.  
"Chibi?" he asked in disbelief. It couldn't be the dog he had once taken care of, could it? But if it was here, then...  
"Pryna?" a female voice asked and Luna entered the Citadel. As her eyes met Prompto's she looked surprised at first before her gaze turned sad.  
"Lunafreya-sama?! What are you doing here?" Prompto asked in wonder.  
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" Luna answered, her voice full of disappointment. Pryna placed herself protectively in front of her and growled at the blonde man. Prompto took a step back, "W-what?"  
"I asked you to _befriend_ Noctis. I never wished for you to steal my future lover. Seriously, I had thought better of you. Noctis is the Chosen King and I am the Oracle. Did you seriously think _you_ could oppose destiny?" she shook her head in disbelief, although Prompto was the one who couldn't believe what was going on. He wanted to reason with her but Pryna suddenly latched out for him and as Luna made no attempts to stop her loyal dog, he gave in to his instincts and fled. Again.

He left the Citadel, running through the rain once again. His hair stuck to his forehead and his face met with the ground as he abruptly tripped, not bracing himself for the fall. For a while, he just laid there, on the hard ground, hot tears mixing with cold rain, a taste of iron inside his mouth. He must have cut his lip at the clash. It hurt. His face hurt. His whole body hurt. But his _heart_ was hurting the most. How could this happen? Yesterday he was happily eating pizza and playing video games with his three boyfriends who seemed to love him more than anything else in the world. But today reality came crashing down on him like a splash of cold water, to remind him that he didn't belong. He was a commoner. The world of royalty was way beyond his reach. 

"What's this filthy piece of trash doing over here?" an unknown voice said and Prompto felt a sudden kick into his side. He rolled around and looked up into the face of an unknown man, who looked down at him in disgust. Around him even more, unknown passersby had stopped and mustered him, whispering to each other, throwing him looks. Prompto felt sick. He couldn't stay here, he had to finally get away from this lunacy. He couldn't stand this any longer, he was tired of it all, he just wanted to rest. He raced without looking back, ignoring the shouts of every person he accidentally ran into, ignoring his burning throat and lungs. He didn't care about the pain of his body, he just needed to get away. Get somewhere safe, to calm down and take a rest. Somewhere he could be alone and recover from everything. Home. He just had to get home. He'd be alone there.

Completely out of breath he reached the doorstep to his flat. As he patted the empty pockets of his pajama pants with shaking hands, he realized in a panic that he left his keys at Noct's apartment. No, this couldn't be true. He banged his head on the door and to his wonder it opened. Had he left it unlocked? Not able to care about it right now, he got inside. His wet clothes left droplets of water on the floor but he couldn't have cared less about this in that moment. 

"You really have the guts to show your face here again?"  
Prompto stilled in his motion, looking down on the floor. This voice... No, it couldn't be.  
"D-dad?" he asked in disbelief, not having the heart to look up.  
"Who else did you expect? This is _my_ house!" his father shouted and slammed his fist against the dresser, causing a flower vase to fall down, loudly shattering into thousands of pieces. Prompto flinched. Alerted by the noise, his mother came around the corner, "What's going on here? Oh no! Grandmother's vase, this was a family heirloom!"  
"It's his fault!" his father shouted and Prompto finally looked up, if only in disbelief.  
"How could you!" his mother screamed in disappointment.  
"I didn't even-" he tried to defend himself but his father interrupted him.  
"Shut up! Who would believe a faggot like you anyway?" his father exclaimed before he spat Prompto in the face, "As if it wouldn't be disgusting enough to fuck one man, you have three at once? Never knew you were such a bitch!"  
"That's so despicable! We didn't raise you to be such a disgrace!" his mother shouted under tears. 

Prompto really couldn't take this any longer. He wiped the spit from his face before he screamed at his parents, "You didn't _raise_ me at all!"  
"Are you trying to blame _us_ now?" his mother started to sob even more, "I did so much for you and this is how you thank me for it?"  
"What? You were never there for me, I was always alone!" Prompto shouted, tears streaming down his face as well.  
"We worked hard to raise the money to keep you glutton fed!" his father shouted before his voice suddenly turned calm and cold, "But we won't do anything for you anymore."  
"Everyone is badmouthing us because of you! I can't stand it any longer," his mother explained in tears. Prompto couldn't believe his ears. Were they blaming _him_? He had done nothing wrong!  
"You are bringing my wife nothing but grief. Leave! And never come back. You are no longer our son," his father ordered, his voice not showing any sympathy.  
"It was a mistake to adopt you in the first place... _you_ are a mistake!" his mother screamed before his father rushed over to embrace her.  
"What are you still doing here? You are hurting her! Why don't you just disappear? No one would miss you anyway!!" his father got angry again and something inside Prompto finally broke.

He was done. He couldn't take this any longer. He cried and screamed as he crouched down on the floor. The tears streamed down his face and no matter how desperately he covered his ears, he couldn't block out his mother's cries or his father's clamor. What had he ever done to deserve all this? He didn't know what to do anymore. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to belong, no place to go. Was his existence a sin in itself? Was he really this worthless?

Prompto jolted awake, eyes widened in shock. His clothes were clinging to him in cold sweat, as he looked up to three pairs of eyes. Iggy's gaze was graced with concern, while Noct looked almost hurt and Gladio kept his distance, looking like he didn't know how to deal with the situation at all.  
"Prompto?" he heard Ignis asking sheepishly before he realized the hands grabbing his shoulders.  
"NO!" he screamed on reflex and tried to struggle away.

"Calm down, Prompto. You had a nightmare," the advisor's voice sounded as reasonable as it always did but the blonde was afraid. He had to get away, he wasn't worthy, he shouldn't be here, he-  
"Prompto, darling, you have to breathe," he heard Ignis instruct him. What was the other talking about, he was breathing, wasn't he? But now that he thought about it, his lungs _did_ still hurt. Like he had been running a marathon, a flame burning him from the inside. He managed to take in a stuttering breath before he had a coughing fit.  
"Easy, try to breathe slowly. Follow my breathing, Prompto," the tactician was a solid constant beside his trembling self. He could trust the advisor, couldn't he? Prompto could always rely on him. But... didn't his uncle tell him, that he didn't want to see him anymore? More tears streamed down his face as the world was slowly turning dizzy around him.  
"No, no, no, Prompto calm down," Ignis sounded almost... desperate? But why? Because of him? Was he worried?  
"You have to breathe in, and out. In. And out. Come on, Prompto, you can do it. I believe in you, I'm here for you. We are all with you," the advisor's voice calmed him down a little. Prompto wasn't sure if he really could do it. Was there even anything he could do? He was a useless nobody, a worthless commoner. But Iggy said he believed in him. And the advisor had never been wrong or lied to him before. And Prompto had always trusted him. He should try to believe him. He was already hurting so much all over it couldn't get any worse. And even if he couldn't believe in himself, he could believe in Ignis.

He managed to take a few stuttering breaths and distantly heard how the advisor told Gladio to go get some water. Closing his eyes to shut out everything that seemed too much right now, he tried to concentrate on Ignis's voice alone, which told him how to breathe. In and out. It sounded so easy. He just needed to follow his instructions. In and out. Yeah, he could do this. It felt easier from time to time and the advisor's voice sounded less stressed and more comfortable by now. 

"What happened?" he heard Gladio's rough voice beside him and the memory came flashing back. Everything at once. What his parents had said about him. What everyone else had said about him. How he wasn't allowed to be with his lovers, caused trouble for everyone, wasn't allowed to even exist. It had been a dream, he knew this by now. But it felt so real. Too real. It could become reality every minute now. His lovers could realize who he really was and just leave him. And then he would be alone again. Like he used to be. But this time he knew how it felt to _not_ be alone and he would always miss this feeling. Earlier he didn't know what he was missing, but by now, he couldn't imagine going back to being alone. He didn't want to. He wouldn't stand to lose his lovers ever again. But what if they left him one day? What if his dream became real? Should he break things up before reality hit him in the face again? Would it hurt less if he himself decided to end it all? Prompto didn't know what to do, what was right and what was wrong. He just wanted to be happy. But did someone like him even deserve happiness?

His body started to shake again, tears streaming down his face, mixing with the snot from his nose. He felt disgusting. He _was_ disgusting, he was worthless, unlovable and... suddenly lifted up?  
Before he even realized what was going on, he found himself in Gladio's lap, his face pressed against the strong man's chest, two arms securely wrapped around him. 

It felt warm.

But no, he wasn't allowed to enjoy this warmth, he wasn't worth it! He tried to struggle away but was no match for the trained shield's strength, "N-no!"  
"Calm down, sunshine," Gladio's chest rumbled as he spoke with a tenderness Prompto wasn't used to, "Don't think about anything, just calm down. You can cry if you want to. You can tell us what you dreamed about if you want to. But you are staying right here where you are until you have settled down. Deal with it."  
"Gladio, don't you think that's a little harsh? You can't hold him against his will," Ignis sounded worried.  
"You made him breathe your way, I'll make him calm down my way. You know I'm bad at talking, so just let me hold him," the shield answered, "I'm here for ya, Prom. I'll protect you from everything. You're safe with me, got it?" Prompto felt a kiss being placed upon his head before the shield's hand started to slowly stroke up and down his back. He tried to wriggle away but soon had to accept that the shield had meant what he said and didn't move one bit. 

What should he do now? He couldn't just stay here, could he? He was only a commoner, he wasn't worth their time. But why had they never said so until now? Why had they stayed with him until now? They wouldn't be playing with him, he knew them well enough to know they weren't these kinds of people. Did they pity him? Prompto didn't know what to think anymore. He felt like his head would explode with a headache if he thought about this any longer and his stomach wasn't feeling well either. He just didn't know what to do anymore, what to feel anymore, what to think anymore.

And so he just cried.

Laying in the shield's strong, protective arms, not thinking about anything anymore, just letting all these complicated feelings being washed out of his body. The shield's shirt turned wet, where Prompto nuzzled his face against it, but the tall male didn't budge one bit. Instead, he kept patting his back and telling him he was _safe_ no matter what. Prompto was hurting all over, his eyes, his head, his throat, but he didn't stop crying. He let it all out. At one point his body instinctively pressed harder against the other male, his one hand gripping Gladio's tank top, the other one desperately clutching onto his shoulder, unintentionally scratching the rough skin. But the shield didn't back away after this either, he only held him tighter, placed more kisses upon his head, whispering in his ear to take all the time he needed to calm down. 

Prompto felt safe.

After a while, he shifted a little, shakingly tangling his legs around the shield's waist, pressing himself against him harder, desperately seeking even more contact.

Having lost track of time completely, he eventually managed to stop shaking, his endless streaming river of tears drying down almost completely. He still snuffled but he was gaining control over his body again. A dry lump had formed in his throat and his voice sounded raspy as he quietly mumbled, "Sorry."  
"Hm?" Gladio hummed.  
Prompto backed away from the other's chest a little and looked at his shirt, where a big wet stain had formed, "For ruining your shirt."  
"I don't care about a little rain, sunshine," Gladio said as he placed a kiss on the blonde's forehead.  
"B-but I'm always such a burden!" Prompto shouted, which caused him to cough.  
"You are no burden," the shield said, his voice sounding confused, probably not getting where Prompto was coming from.  
"But I-" the blonde wanted to explain, but his dry throat wouldn't let him, just making him cough uncontrollably.

"Try to drink some water, darling," Ignis's soft voice reached Prompto's ears and the advisor handed him a small opened bottle of water. The blonde accepted it with shaking hands and took a few small sips. The cool liquid felt like heaven on his raw throat and he only now realized how thirsty he had been all the time. He eagerly gulped down some more of it before he sheepishly handed the bottle back to Ignis. The advisor took it and placed it on the nightstand before he carefully placed a hand on Prompto's shoulder, asking even more carefully, "What makes you think you could be a burden?"  
"Well because I'm... I'm just me," the blonde fished for words.  
"I'm afraid I don't follow," Ignis admitted, but Prompto only bid his bottom lip. 

For the first time this night, Noctis spoke up as he tentatively laid his hand on Prompto's thigh, "If it's not too much... would you tell us about your dream?"  
The quivering in the prince's voice made Prompto look up. He was surprised to see Noct's eyes shimmering worriedly as if the prince himself was only a second away from crying himself.  
"You really wanna know?" he asked hesitantly.  
"Yes, I want to know what's haunting you."  
"Even if it's... bad?"  
"Yes, even if it's bad. I want to know _everything_ about you, Prom," Noctis confirmed.

Prompto chewed on his lips a little before he slowly nodded and started to tell them about his dream. It was difficult to live through it all once again, his voice breaking more than a few times, tears escaping his eyes again. But as he felt the warmth of his three lovers around him, saw Noctis crying for _him_ and heard Gladio unabashedly insulting the people from his dream for everything they said, causing Iggy to gasp scandalized more than once, he felt better. 

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this," Noctis stuttered between sobs after Prompto had finished his narration.  
"Dude, it's not like it's your fault," the blonde answered on reflex. He wasn't used to Noct crying. To be honest he had never seen the prince cry before and everything inside of him screamed to make him stop and just console him.  
"But I should have noticed you were worried about all this!" Noctis mentioned snuffling.  
"He is right," Ignis added, "I'm sorry we didn't realize you had so much on your mind. If you ever worry about anything, please feel free to tell us. Even if you think it might be something insignificant. We'll always listen to you."  
"Yeah, you are one of us now!" Gladio joined in, "So don't hold back and just speak up if something's on your mind! And don't you dare start your next sentence with _but_..."  
Prompto opened his mouth only to close it again immediately. How did Gladio know he wanted to protest? He didn't want to trouble the others with his insecurities, "I don't wanna be a burden on you all.."  
Gladio groaned in response before he softly shook the blonde still sitting in his lap, "Prompto! You are _no_ burden on us. Why don't you just get this?"  
Ignis sighed, "What he meant is: Please don't think you are a burden to us. We all love you and care about you. That's why we want to know everything about you, good things or bad things. We want to laugh with you and we want to support you when you feel down. You don't have to hide anything from us, we are _happy_ if you confide to us."  
"Yeah, that's what I meant! Didn't I say this?" Gladio answered.  
Noctis had stopped to cry by now and shook his head, a little desperate laugh leaving his mouth, "You have no tactfulness at all, Gladio."  
"Hey!! I don't wanna hear this from you," the shield grumbled and Ignis chuckled. Noct and Gladio started to playfully stare at each other, nudging their shoulders a few times before a soft snicker left Prompto's mouth. They all stopped and stared at him.  
"Thanks, guys. Thanks for... loving _me_."  
"Thanks for letting yourself be loved and loving us back!" Noctis smiled at him.  
"We wouldn't be complete without you, darling," Ignis added.  
"Don't you ever dare think anything else!" Gladio said before he placed another kiss on Prompto's forehead, which made the blonde smile at him.

"So, what's the plan? Gotta stay up the rest of the night, cuddling under as many blankets as possible and eat all ice cream the fridge holds?" Noctis suggested much to Ignis's dismay.  
"That sounds nice, but I'm actually way too exhausted," Prompto admitted.  
"Well then, back to sleep!" Gladio said and took off his wet shirt faster than anyone could look, before he laid back, putting Prompto down with him. The blonde blushed fiercely as his face pressed against the shield's muscular naked chest. Their legs were tangled together and Gladio had his arm securely wrapped around Prompto's upper body. Before the blonde could react, Noctis had cuddled against his back and slipped his hand under the blonde's shirt, soothingly rubbing circles over his soft skin. Ignis put the blankets upon them before he settled down against Gladio's other side, taken the blonde's hand into his own, placed upon the shield's chest. Prompto smiled fondly before he closed his eyes and listened to his lovers' breath and Gladio's steady heartbeat beneath him. He felt warm, secure and loved as he finally drifted off to sleep again.

The next morning he awoke to the sunlight shining upon his face and Gladio's soft snoring. Getting up was impossible, as his limbs were tangled between Gladio's and Noct's.  
"Good morning, darling," Ignis's gentle voice greeted him and he looked to his side. The advisor sat on the bed beside the other three, his phone and a can of Ebony in his hands. It was a rare sight. Usually, Ignis got up way before them.  
"Mornin'," Prompto mumbled, his voice still sleepy, "Why aren't you in the living room or kitchen like usual?"  
"I wanted to be here when you wake up," Ignis admitted, "Did you sleep well?"  
"Huh? Oh... yeah, thanks," Prompto smiled.  
"That's good. Should we wake these sleepy heads?" the advisor grinned, pointing at Gladio and Noct.  
"Nah, it's okay. Let them have some more rest," Prompto said as he snuggled himself back into the sheets. It was a nice morning and he wanted to enjoy it a little longer. His nightmare had been terrifying but it was just that: a dream. And even if it still hurt thinking about it, Prompto felt that it had caused an important step in their relationship. Maybe it was necessary for him to finally and completely realize that they all really loved and protected each other. Even him.

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


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